Technical writing is anessential form ofstraightfoward communication that allows readers to accomplish a specific task using easy-to-understand directions. This book also dispels the myth that all technical writingonly pertains touser manuals;rather, technical writing covers a host of purposes including interoffice memos, e-mail, and other basic forms of daily communication. Part I of our multi-purpose textbook is written, designed, and sequenced for an introduction to technical writing course. Taking into account that most students in such a course are not familiar with technical writing, or consider it a form used only by scientists or "techies," the material in Part I is introductory in nature. Only the mostrelevant details that students would need toapply to their own writing projects are examined. Each of thesections in Part I is developed on a much more advanced level in Part II, where students in an introductory course can referif they have an interest in learning more about a given topic. Part II also has a dual purpose in that it can be used as a textbook for several advanced technical writing coursesor as a technical writing handbook or desk reference for working technical writers--it presents full coverage of topics and issues in technical writing. Topics that a technical writer would encounter on the jobare covered with precisedetail.Students in an introductory technical writing course have to know how design affects the overall readability and success of a document; Part I will introduce students to the concepts of basic page design. However, in Part II, students will go beyond the basics and learn details about the kind ofdocument design that is expected in a professional setting.Part II also discusses digitaldocument collaboration, professional development, and research methods to give the book an innovative, multi-faceted approach.